BACK
TO THE BADLANDS
We
drove through the Black Hills and past Rapid City and on to the community of
Scenic on the southwest edge of the park.
We drove to the Sage Creek Campground, which is in open desert. We had lunch there and watched the prairie
dogs play. Then it was on to the dirt
Sage Creek Road, which follows the rim of the Badlands. We stopped at most of the overlooks,
including Sage Creek Basin, Badlands Wilderness, and Hay Butte. Then we joined the paved Badlands Loop Road,
which continues to follow the rim of the Badlands. This stretch had a lot more traffic, as it
makes a convenient loop with I-94 in Wall, South Dakota. We stopped at several more overlooks. The Pinnacles Overlook features spectacular
scenery. The Yellow Mounds Overlook was
my favorite, as it features colorful bluffs.
Panorama Point and Bigfoot Pass were worth visiting, too.
We
stopped at the Saddle Pass Trailhead. I
started up the trail to Saddle Pass in running shoes, but quickly decided that
better footwear was needed due to some sketchy footing. Saddle Pass is a steep climb, and it looked a
lot farther than advertised. Christy
balked, and I decided to skip it and spend our limited time elsewhere.
We
drove through Cedar Pass and did the quick hike to The Window. Then we did the fun little hike to The Door,
which features expansive views.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for the Notch Trail. Instead, we drove to the Park Visitor
Center. Christy had to do some work, and
she was able to get a signal there.
While she was working, I did another short hike on the Cliff Shelf
Nature Trail. This short hike was
exceptionally scenic. It was easily my
favorite of the short hikes I did in the park.
I
rejoined Christy shortly before sunset.
We cooked dinner in the picnic area next to the Visitor Center and
caught some spectacular alpenglow on the bluffs to the east. Afterwards we ate dinner, cleaned up, and
drove to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where I’d booked a hotel room. That drive was long and dark and boring, and
we both were struggling to stay awake.
We reached the hotel after midnight and crashed.
We
started early the next morning and drove south towards Omaha. This route meant that we spent most of the
day driving across most of Iowa. We
approached suburban Chicago at rush hour, so we stopped for dinner to avoid
sitting in traffic. By the time we
finished traffic had cleared up. From
there we headed back to St. Joseph, Michigan.
Our friends Marsha and Ian graciously let us spend another night there
with them, even though it was a weeknight.
We
left early the next morning and drove to Clearfield, PA to visit Christy’s
parents. The next morning Christy and I drove
up to State College to watch Appalachian State open their football season
against Penn State. The tailgating was fantastic,
as we hooked up with our friends Bill, Sally, and Iggy. The game was crazy. Christy and I both grew up Penn State fans.
It was a bit awkward when Appalachian State took a 7 point
lead late in the fourth quarter. Despite
our previous loyalties, we were thrilled that we had a chance to win. Unfortunately, Penn State scored in the final
minute to tie the game, and they survived us in overtime. The Penn State fans were very gracious. They gave our team a standing ovation as they
exited the field.
That
night we visited our favorite bar in Clearfield, PA, still wearing our
Appalachian State shirts. We know the
owners, and they didn’t charge us for our meal.
The next morning we visited Christy’s parent’s
camp in Sinnemahoning, PA for a picnic.
It was a relaxing, spending the last day of our vacation on the banks of
the First Fork of Sinnemahoning Creek.
We started home that afternoon, and the late hour helped us dodge the
worst of the traffic.
I’m
already looking forward to our next road trip to Wyoming. The Wind River Range has so much to offer, we
could go there every summer.
Back to South Dakota
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Please remember to Leave No Trace!